Blasted Kingianums

[nutgirl]

I've had a kingianum for about 4 years and I've yet to see a bloom. It has about 10 canes.
Finally, this year I had flower spikes developing but they all blasted. I would appreciate any pieces of advice.

It is grown outdoors all year in a sunny greenhouse. Temps can range from upper 30's - upper 80's on a sunny day in winter. I water weekly.
This year the upper temps have reached mid 90's on a couple of occasions.
Is that too high? Could it have caused my problem?

I had such high hopes for this.

Maureen

[cbuchman]

Hmm.. What is it potted in? kingianums needs rapid drying and should dry out between waterings. They are kept somewhat drier in the winter months. They can be grown in a wide range of temps (mine suffers 90 F in summer to lows in the 50s at night in winter and reliable blooms). Your 30F temps may be too cold. Baker says into the high 50s at night.

They also like to be pot bound. Good air movement is essential.

Are the roots healthy?

I suspect it may be the low temps hitting at the wrong time. If kept a little dry, the lower temps might be tolerated, but probably not that much lower than their preference.

It's a good discussion and I look forward to other's opinions!

[silken]

Being on the Canadian prairies, I had to keep mine in the greenhouse so my conditions are somewhat different. But in the summer it gets temps as high as 90F or more and lows in the 60's. For winter I kept mine on the threshold of the greenhouse patio doors. It got fairly good light but less than summer and in the daytime temps that low and close to the door were likely 60 at best and around 50 at night or colder. Condensation was freezing to ice on the door right beside the plant at times. I did keep it very dry until I saw buds. Every growth bloomed for me so it must have liked it.

Hope that helps. My thought is it was getting a bit too warm before the buds developed. But I have only had mine a little over a year so am not really experienced with it. OrchidWiz basically says cool and dry for the winter rest.

[RosieC]

I keep mine in a wide range of temps because of what we happen to get outside however it's in the greenhouse and gets a min of about 40F in the winter as I heat the greenhouse just slightly to keep it around that minimum.

I hardly water mine after Halloween and start watering again around valentines, by which time it usually has buds, if not flowers. If I do water over the winter then it's rain water only with no fertiliser.

[WhiteRabbit]

I keep mine pretty moist spring, summer early fall. Late fall - winter, I water less often, but still with fertilizer. I have mine potted in a combination of pumice and perlite.

Spikes on mine usually start in early fall (nodes start to swell), which is why I would be hesitant, in my case at least, to let it be very dry, or not fertilize. Mine is outside year round (zone 9), protected from frost, freeze, winter rain.

If you got a spike, you're doing well. A number if factors can cause bud blast. It's possible that the spike in temps caused it.

[nutgirl]

Thank you all for your responses!!!!

I grow it in LECA in a plastic pot kind of suspended in a clay pot. Lava rock in the bottom so it doesn't sit in water. Good drainage, roots galore.

I water it all year but definitely cut back in winter. I don't like it to be wet and cold at the same time.

From your comments I'm guessing it is a temperature range thing.
Like Rosie, I keep my greenhouse from freezing but that's about it. It can be in upper 30's but up to 90's on a sunny day and maybe that's too high of a temp for it.
My Cattleya's seem to love it but I'll try something different for the kingianum.

Maureen

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Try reducing water in the winter far more than you have already. My mother plant is just throwing out spikes. So are some of the keikis.

[cbuchman]

Mine had been blooming for a month or more. I don't make a any more effort than letting it dry thoroughly before watering. Lots of spikes with lots of blooms.

[nutgirl]

Thanks for the input, Philip and Carrie.

I think I'll try to eliminate the temp extremes and tweek the water in winter until I find it's happy zone.

Maureen

[rosalie]

I live in So.California and grow them outside. I don't give then much water in the winter. It might be too much moisture and prolonged cold temperature. Have you tried bringing them during the coldest months?
I made the mistake of leaving my catts in bud outside and they blasted too.